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136. The possibility mentioned above that small experimental aircraft may be designed and constructed in New Zealand creates a problem that must be faced. If the Civil Aviation Directorate is to be staffed to enable it to investigate the design and test the prototype aircraft, the cost and technical effort involved will be out of all proportion to the importance to New Zealand civil aviation of the few aircraft involved; yet nothing short of a complete investigation would enable the Civil Aviation Directorate to vouch for the airworthiness of the aircraft. 137. The solution we recommend is that the designer of such an aeroplane should be given two options:— (a) To furnish the Civil Aviation Directorate with evidence acceptable to them that the aeroplane complies with the British civil airworthiness requirements. Such evidence might take the form of a type record certified by the Air Registration Board of the United Kingdom, it being for the designer to negotiate direct with the Air Registration Board to obtain such certification, and for him to defray all costs ; or (b) To have a permit to fly the aeroplane himself, without a certificate of airworthiness, at such times and places as the Civil Aviation Directorate would prescribe, and conditional upon his taking out a third party insurance. 138. It may be observed here that it is not universal practice to require the certification of airworthiness of aircraft used for private flying exclusively within the State of registration. Although the majority of such aircraft are of types which have been granted a certificate of airworthiness, the private owner in countries where the law so provides is not required to submit his aircraft to inspection for the annual renewal of the certificate of airworthiness. He has the option of so doing. 139. As regards modifications to aircraft which have been issued with a certificate of airworthiness, other than modifications originating in the country of origin of the aircraft, the Civil Aviation Branch at present require details of all such modifications to be submitted to them for airworthiness approval. The invesigations necessarily associated with such approval occupy time which the Branch can ill spare, and the paper work and transit delays are an exasperation to all concerned. 140. The remedy for this situation does not lie wholly, or even principally, with the Civil Aviation Branch. They are, we are assured, willing and anxious to delegate the major part of this work to firms and operators, provided those firms and operators employ, or use the services of, qualified aeronautical engineers with experience of aircraft design, flight testing, and flight test analysis. So far as our information goes, no aircraft firm or operator in New Zealand at present employs such